General Chat

This is not a snipe at anybody on here. This is a chat site and nobody uses perfect grammar when they chat, even if they did have to suffer a grammar school education!

Reading an article in the Daily Mirror this morning (not aiming high but they were still paid to write it) I was informed that the journalist had two daughters. She then wnt on to mention the oldest and the youngest.

Surely good English is a tool of her trade so why does she not know that she has no oldest or youngest daughter and why was the article not properly proof read by somebody who does know adequate grammar?

I find correcting peoples Grammar bad manners
English is not always peoples first language :-D

Its text talk I don't understand
By the time I decipher what Stray has sent me
9 times out of 10 she pops in so I can ask her ;-) ;-)

Apparently, grammar is regaining its rightful place in secondary school lessons.

I think you miss my point Joy.

I agree with Sharron - if it's a journalist, they should at least have a decent grasp of the language - and the proof reader should have an excellent comprehension of the language.

To be honest my Butler is the worst offender
He corrects everything even letters
from the Doctor or Hospital and the newspapers

I understand what you are saying but grammar changes over time as does language and in that instance the journalist’s meaning was clear. If you were urging someone along you would tell them to put their best foot forward, though in theory that should only apply to Jake the Peg :-D

The other day I saw an article in the DM about someone who was sore but they wrote soar :-S

Someone educate the so called journalist and the proofreaders - that's if they bother to have proofreaders now. :-|

I agree with Sharron too.

If writing is your stock in trade, get it right.

We all write sloppily and use slang at times and if I get the gist of what someone means even though the grammar and/or spelling is incorrect I would never bother to correct it.

'Words are the dress of thoughts, which should no more be presented in rags, tatters and dirt than your person should'. (Earl of Chesterfield).

Having been sentenced to grammar school, I still feel naughty when I use poor grammar and sometimes do it entirely from defiance.

Would it be akin to a chef opening a can of soup.....should be able to do better??

I think it is like an electrician turning up with a lolly stick and a plastic spoon to re-wire your house and charging you the same price as a properly equipped tradesman.

I think a large part of the problem for journalists, not only in the Daily Mail but newspapers all over the world, and also for authors of books, is that there are no longer any Copy Editors or proofreaders who check articles (or books) for correct English usage, spelling and continuity.

It's all been replaced by Word Spell on the computer ........ hence Pat's notice of the word soar instead of sore. Word Spell only checks that a word is spelled correctly, not whether it is the correct spelling for the context.

I find that more and more books contain mistakes ............ not only spelling, wrong words, but also lack of continuity or character name changes, etc etc


This began to happen in the late 90s ................ editing articles and books written by staff members was part of my job. I used my grammar school education, no other training!

I was basically an author's editor, while journals and publishing houses had Copy Editors and proof readers who not only checked the manuscript but also the page proofs. I would get a copy of the page proofs all marked up for printing, and had to make sure that the author's meaning had not been lost in the process.

I checked not only spelling and grammar but also that the author had adhered to the beliefs and standards of the Botanical Garden ............ that last sometimes led to big discussions with the Copy Editor.

But then came the time I was editing the "big" book, about 400 pages ............ and realised that the publishers had done away with the Copy Editor and the proofreader .................. I was suddenly responsible not only for editing the manuscript, but also for making sure that the page proofs were correct, with no typescript errors, omissions,etc.

I wasn't trained for that last stage ............ but I had to learn. FAST!


It's even worse now, as newspapers and books show every day

Bad spelling and grammar do make me twitch. But teaching and correcting it was how I earned my living for many years so that's hardly surprising.

It does matter and it's disappointing when those who should know better get it wrong. Glaring errors distract from what the author is trying to say.

The point of grammar and spelling is to make oneself understood. Sloppy grammar and spelling can lead to the reader misunderstanding what the writer is trying to say. The whole point in writing is so that people do understand.

So those who earn a living by writing should get it right.

'Who's Whose' is a lovely little book by Philip Gooden (2004) which provides a no-nonsense guide to easily confused words.

As the Author said: "The English language is a minefield, full of words that look and sound alike but mean different things in different places.

So, if you have ever been fazed (or phased?) by the difference between stationery and stationary, or pore and pour, then this is the book for you".

LOL Dermot, re the last paragraph...

Is a Stationery cupboard Stationary?

if it has wheels....No....

Bob :-D
I was working (temping) in a school, and the stationery cupboard was labelled 'stationary'.
The only way I could refrain from pointing out the error was to say to myself 'It's not moving' :-( :-(

You know that point I was making about oldest of two?

Do you think the person who wrote the article had been taught in a school with a stationary cupboard? It was probably stood somewhere out of the way as well!

Hmmm! When is Stationery not stationary?


When it's Air Mail!!!


Ba boom!!